Current federal laws and regulations require strict confidentiality of all information obtained from the BPS study as well as from the earlier National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). These include the Privacy Act of 1974 [5 USC 552a], Privacy Act Regulations [34 CFR Part 56b], the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, the Computer Security Act of 1987, NCES Restricted Use Data Procedures Manual, and the NCES Standards and Policies. These data from groups of 30 or more will be combined to produce reports for Congress and others. Any unauthorized disclosure of individually identifiable information is a violation of Federal Law and is subject to heavy fines and imprisonment.
Specific procedures we have implemented include:
These procedures have been reviewed and approved by the federal government and by the RTI Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects.